iPhone OS4
Having had a play with some of the new features in the latest edition of Apple’s iPhone Operating System, due to be released in the UK in the next month or two, I have to say I’m very impressed.
As a fairly recent iPhone convert (I foolishly entered into a 2 year contract for a Blackberry which has only just expired) I have already become frustrated with a few elements of how the iPhone works. This new operating system addresses a whole load of those things, and seriously improves the phone - pushing it back up head and shoulders above the competition who have been gaining ground for the last couple of years.
Current iPhone users can all benefit from the new system, without having to upgrade their phones. A particular bonus for those who either don’t have the spare cash, or are locked into a contract with some time left to run. It’s free to download, too. Even better.
The key feature is the introduction of multitasking. It’s finally possible to run more than one app at the same time, and so to keep others running in the background. Meaning you can let’s say check the email from the estate agent while browsing Enfield flats and houses for rent online. Very useful. You can also lock the rotation of the screen, so it doesn’t automatically rotate when you turn the phone sideways. The Mail app now does threaded email, similar to googlemail, so you don’t have to dig through to find old part of the same discussion. The camera has a 5x digital zoom introduced, so you don’t have to get up and walk closer to something to make it bigger in the photo.
You can put apps into folders, so you can have all your games stored in one place. And you can hook up a wireless bluetooth keyboard to take the pain out of typing.
Could it get any better? Of course it could. And it will. That’s Apple for you, but I’ll settle for this for now!